Run Through Hell
by xXBalorBabeXx
Summary: Hoping to never see Russia again, Harper, Brayden and Jason make their way to Port Charles. For Jason, it's to rebuild his life and for Harper and Brayden, it's a new start for them and a chance for Harper to find her biological family. But will this go the way they had planned? (AU from the October 1st 2017 episode, also slightly AU from my other GH stories)
1. Home Where We Belong

**_A/N: Back with a new General Hospital story but it might not get updated until after Hurricane Dorian is over. As of now, Florida is under a state of emergency._**

_"Excuse me. C-could you tell me what's happening? Is there a fire?" Ava asked as the alarm blared, Ava pretending to be concerned about what was going on to distract the nurse who rushed past her._

_"Get back in your room! Patients 6 and 7 got loose." The nurse responded before she left, Ava breathing a relieved sigh._

_Down the hallway, Dr. Klein was on his phone._

_"My people aren't set up to handle this. I need two contractors with military experience. Yes, fine. I need them here now! Their target has a 10-minute head start. Now, Patients 6 and 7 are strong, fast, and nearly impossible to control. If we don't reclaim them tonight, we may never get them back." Dr. Klein responded._

_In the alleyway, Jason, Harper and Brayden had gotten enough distance between themselves and the men chasing them and stopped to catch their breath._

_"You two holding up okay?" Jason asked, the two nodding._

_"Up the staircase… it'll lead us to a street that'll lead us to the train station, we can get out of here that way." Brayden responded._

_"He's right, we can get onto the train and we'll… damn it, we don't have passports with us." Harper replied._

_"We'll find another way onto the train, Love." Brayden responded before the three headed up the stairs to the street level and were stopped by a concerned priest._

_"Mir, deti moi. Ochen' kholodno khodit' bez obuvi." He replied._

_"Mne i moyemu bratu prishlos' uyti bez nikh, mesto, kotoroye my tol'ko chto pokinuli, - eto dom uzhasov." Harper responded, Jason raising an eyebrow. "I spent a semester here during college, I learned how to speak enough Russian to get by." She explained._

_"Mogu li ya pomoch' vam troim?" The priest questioned._

_"Posle nas yest' muzhchiny, nam nuzhen vykhod iz Sankt-Peterburga." Harper explained, the priest leading the three to the church._

_"My English is limited. Ah, wait here. I bring shoes. Jackets, maybe." The priest responded._

_"Thank you." Jason replied._

_"Oh, thank God. He sent me. I never use that alley, until tonight." The older man responded before they heard the door open and the three hid._

_To their relief, it wasn't one of the men chasing them._

_"Do you speak any English?" Griffin questioned._

_"A little. Nothing fancy. I'm Father Stanislov." The priest responded._

_"Name's Griffin Munro. I speak no Russian at all, I'm an American. May I use your church to pray?" Griffin replied._

_"You are welcome to pray here but I must lock up soon." Stanislov responded._

_"I understand." Griffin replied._

_"God bless you, my son, and God send you rest from your troubles, hm?" Stanislov responded._

_"Wh-what makes you think I'm troubled?" Griffin questioned._

_"Oh, to pray so late, so far from home? I think you ask for help, hmm? God will send it." Stanislov answered before he headed into the back and Jason, Harper and Brayden stood up._

_"You three are obviously in some trouble. How can I help?" Griffin replied as he walked over._

_"I need to make a phone call." Jason explained, Griffin retrieving his phone._

_"Take all the time you want." Griffin replied._

_"Is this new?" Jason asked as he held the phone, Griffin chuckling slightly._

_"Yeah, it's...it's embarrassing. I-I always have to be first in line for the new upgrade." Griffin explained before going to sit down and pray as Jason made his call._

_When Harper heard Griffin say "Help me find Ava and bring her home.", she and Brayden walked over to him._

_"Shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, a bandage protecting her face? She was in the same clinic as Harper and Jason when I got there, she helped the three of us escape. Two miles down the road, you hang a left at the fork. You'll see some trees on the right. Make a right turn at the dirt road there." Brayden explained, Griffin breathing a relieved sigh._

_"Thank you. Look, I can tell you're in some trouble. If there's anything I can do to help…" Griffin responded as Jason walked over, handing Griffin his phone. "Did you reach the person you wanted to? You're welcome to try again." He replied._

_"Probably not a good idea. You better go, that woman needs you." Jason explained, Griffin leaving… and Jason turning to Harper, remembering a picture of two twin infant girls. "You were never reported deceased…" He responded, Harper nodding._

_"When I was little, I lived in Port Charles for a few years. My biological family thought that I was never found alive and I didn't find out just who they are until recently. I spent most of my life believing that the Eckert family were my biological family until my adoptive aunt told me about the Quartermaines." Harper explained, Jason pulling her into a hug._

_He knew right away that she was telling the truth…_

Harper opened her eyes, looking up at Brayden before they smiled and kissed.

"It's gonna be a bit longer before we get to New York, you two." Jason responded, jarring them out of their thoughts.

"If I never see Russia again, I'll be happier than I've been in my life." Harper replied, the 29 year old tying her honey brown and blonde hair back into a ponytail.

It was still damp but she was glad that she, Brayden and Jason had found a nearby shower in the freighter and each were able to shave, clean off and get into warmer clothes without getting caught… and Harper reminded herself to thank the person who helped get them into the freighter without being seen.

"We can start over in America, safe from those psychos." Brayden responded, the 41 year old holding his girlfriend close to him as she rested her head on his right shoulder… and flinching as a crick echoed from Harper's spine.

"Help her up carefully, she's gonna need to stretch her limbs." Jason replied, Brayden helping Harper up and Harper cautiously stretching her neck and back first before stretching her legs and arms.

She and Brayden held each other and kissed… and Jason smiled slightly, remembering all the times he and Sam kissed.

_'I'm coming back home, Sam… back to you and Danny, back to Elizabeth, back to everyone who's spent all this time thinking I was dead.' _Jason thought.

But little did Jason know just how much had changed.


	2. Past Connections

_**A/N: The worst of Hurricane Dorian is over here but thoughts and prayers to those affected and those in its path. This and future chapters will also go into the OCs pasts and some flashbacks will be graphic.**_

_**July 25th 1988… **_

_The second the two pairs of eyes connected, Bill Eckert picked the shivering 3 ½ month old up into his arms and she burrowed herself into his shirt… she wrapped her tiny right hand around his index finger and her left hand around Nancy's._

_The couple had walked into the adoption center with their young son along with them, the paperwork having gone through to adopt the baby._

_And they both looked at each other with soft smiles as Sly made silly faces at the infant, who giggled._

"_I think this little angel chose us as her family…" Nancy whispered before lightly kissing the infant on her forehead. "Well, we've gotta pick out a name for her… any suggestions?" She responded quietly._

"_I thought of one… Harper Elena." Bill answered before turning to her. "You like that, kiddo?" He asked._

_Harper clapped her tiny hands together as she babbled, Sly looking at Bill and Nancy._

"_Is it okay if I hold her?" Sly asked._

"_Of course, Slyster. Just be careful, she's little." Bill responded, gently putting Harper in Sly's arms after the boy sat down._

"_Hi… I'm your older brother and I'm gonna look out for you. I'm gonna teach you a lot of things in life, Harper… how to tie your shoes when you're old enough to wear them… how to ride a bike… and drive a car. Well, when I'm old enough to drive, of course." Sly replied, lightly brushing Harper's short dark blonde hair back. "And you're gonna know that you're always loved by your family… I promise, Sis." He whispered, kissing Harper on her forehead._

_Harper let out a sleepy yawn and rested her head on Sly's right shoulder, closing her eyes as Bill and Nancy smiled again._

_The first night home, Bill found himself holding Harper close to him after changing her into a pink and grey pajama onesie… the infant was out like a light but Bill couldn't bring himself to put his daughter in her crib just yet._

"_One day, Harper Elena, we're gonna go to Port Charles and you're gonna meet your whole family… Luke, Bobbie, Patricia… they're gonna love you like they've known you for your entire life. And love you for you, my precious angel." Bill whispered, Harper's snores barely audible._

_And when Bill finally put her in her crib, he swore he saw Harper's tiny mouth form into a smile… he lightly kissed her on her forehead before he headed to his and Nancy's room._

_Over in Port Charles, Alan was checking on his 3 ½ month old daughter, who was asleep in her crib when he felt hands resting on his shoulders and turned… and smiled when he saw Monica, who smiled at him and Lily._

"_She's gonna grow up surrounded by all the love we all have… and none of the chaos that comes with our family." Monica whispered, Alan smiling._

"_Yes she will." Alan responded quietly before he lightly kissed Lily on her forehead and Monica rubbed the infant's head._

"_Goodnight, sweetheart." Monica whispered before she and Alan headed back to their room, Alan quietly closing the door._

_Across the world in Ireland, Duke looked at newly turned 12 year old Brayden, who looked back at him._

"_Where do you keep going off to, Dad? Mom mentioned that you're seeing another woman…" The boy questioned, Duke kneeling down to his son's height._

"_A place called Port Charles… and someday son, I want to take you there so you can meet her. Her name is Anna and she is very nice but she has a child of her own and she's been busy trying to figure everything out." Duke explained before he and his son hugged. "I promise, I will be back for you." He responded before he left._

_But at the time, Brayden didn't know that the man who had just left wasn't Duke Lavery… _

**Present time…**

The freighter was still quiet… and Harper looked around, faint memories of the night at the lighthouse in 1991 coming back to her.

_"Mommy!" Harper cried out as the 3 year old ran to Nancy, crouching down to her. "Mommy? Mommy, wake up… wake up." She responded through her sobs but Nancy was gone._

_"I'm sorry, little one."_

_Harper looked up to see Finian on the top of the staircase... and Harper's hazel eyes narrowed._

_"Sorry won't bring her back!" Harper responded angrily._

_She heard noises and hid... and was soon left alone and walked up the staircase and to the table after dragging a chair to it, picking up the phone and dialing 911 once she heard a dial tone as the storm had subsided._

_"911, what's your emergency?" The dispatcher asked._

_"Someone killed my mom…" Harper responded as tears were still trailing down her face._

_"Did you see who did it, little one? Are they gone?" The dispatcher asked gently, struggling to stay calm as the little girl's sadness broke her heart._

_"My babysitter." Harper responded._

_When the PCPD had shown up, Robert Scorpio gently crouched down to Harper and wrapped a blanket around her._

_"I miss my mom... I was angry at her." Harper responded, Robert holding her._

_"You were angry because you didn't understand why you couldn't live with your dad anymore…" Robert replied, Harper nodding._

_"Why couldn't they just get along?" Harper asked, her tiny arms around him._

_"I wish I knew, sweetie." Robert responded as tears trailed down his face…_

"Why couldn't you two just get along towards the end? For me and Sly… was that too much to ask?" Harper responded quietly as tears ran down her face, Brayden wrapping his arms around her shoulders and lightly kissing the side of her head.

"Despite everything, Bill loved you. Nancy should've seen more than ways to get rich." Brayden replied.

"I have memories of them laughing and dancing at night when they thought me and Sly were asleep… the four of us, we didn't have much money back then but we were happy. Then that inheritance brought out Nancy's greed… and things got completely out of control." Harper responded, her head resting on Brayden's left shoulder.

"When parents split, their first priority should be to stay civil for their kids… but that doesn't always happen." Brayden replied.

"The love between them got lost is what Dad had said. Carbon disulfide… I didn't find that out til I was 15 but that's what was used to make him disoriented at the custody hearing and that Nancy had found it in Scott Baldwin's office. I don't know what he was doing with them… doesn't mean I don't intend to find out." Harper responded.

She had only gone back to the lighthouse that night to grab an old locket with a picture of her and Sly as kids… and she wished she hadn't seen what she had seen.

Scott had used it as evidence until the confession had been revealed… and for that, Harper would never forgive him.


	3. Memories Are Only That Now

_**A/N: When a show doesn't explain what happened to a character after they were taken to jail, that's where Fanfiction comes into play.**_

_**February 7th 2012…**_

_Looking through old pictures of her, Sly, Bill and Finian, Harper was still trying to process that hers and Sly's childhood babysitter had passed on._

_She had told the truth the night of the arrest, that Finian had been acting without thinking when he killed Nancy… and he was let go and they mended things, her and Sly thinking of Finian as a grandfather given that Fred died when they were too young to properly remember him._

_She felt hands on her shoulders and saw Brayden, the two friends hugging each other and his short brown hair a little messy from sleep but Harper didn't mind as her long honey brown and blonde hair was slightly messy too and both were still in their pajamas._

_"I'm really sorry, Darlin'. Finian was a truly one of a kind person." Brayden responded._

_"He was. I just… I guess I always thought that he'd be around a lot longer, despite his advanced age." Harper replied before they heard a knock at the door, Brayden standing up and going to the door before he unlocked and opened it._

_"Cain." Brayden responded._

_"Lavery." Drew replied before he walked in, him and Harper hugging for a few seconds._

_"For once, can you two address each other by your first names? I know I'm only a secretary __at the Navy base but try to act like civilians for once." Harper responded, Brayden and Drew nodding._

_"She's right." Brayden replied._

_"She is. We can be civil." Drew responded before Harper picked up the house phone._

_"Luke? You're not off on another one of your adventures, are you?... Well if you do go off on another one, please get back home safely. And… if you can find Lucky, please tell him to call me back. Thank you. Yes, I'll be careful, I promise. Alrighty, love ya too, old man." Harper replied before she hung up._

_"Family?" Drew responded._

_"Yeah. Luke is a bit out there at times but he cares about his family. His children are grown now but he never really stops being a father to them." Harper replied before Drew saw a picture of Luke, Laura, Harper, Lucky and Sly… and Drew smiled._

_But at the same time, it had him wondering where his own biological family was…_

**Present time…**

Neither Harper or Brayden were sure when they fell asleep but the two had woken back up to see a man trying to hit Jason with a lead pipe and both sprung into action, Brayden putting the man in a chokehold after Jason had hit the stranger.

Pulling her jacket off, Harper smothered the stranger when he was resisting the chokehold… and the man eventually passed out, Brayden letting him go after putting him onto his side and checking for a pulse after Harper pulled her jacket back on.

"Were one of you in the military?" Jason asked after a few seconds.

"I was a Navy seal for 10 years… it helped straighten out my life when I was going down the wrong direction. And before you ask, he's still breathing." Brayden explained, Jason tying the man to a chair after Harper found some rope.

"He's lucky I didn't use too much force to smother him." Harper responded before she crouched down to her left knee, finding a wallet and opening it before she found a British driver's license. "Huxley Lynch… well, we're not the only ones a long way from home. He is too." She replied, closing the wallet and putting it back in Huxley's pants pocket before she stood up.

"Now we just wait til he wakes up." Brayden responded, rubbing Harper's back.

Hours passed before Huxley regained consciousness, his first words were "Oh, I should have passed on that last bottle of dom…" and Harper rolled her eyes a bit.

"Good God! Who the hell are you?!" Huxley responded frantically when he saw the other three, turning to Jason. "Explain yourself, sir. Why did you attack me?" He replied.

"I only hit you once." Jason responded, Huxley turning to Harper.

"Hey, I only smothered you when you started fighting back." Harper explained.

"It was me who choked you out." Brayden replied, Huxley narrowing his eyes at the younger man after turning to him.

"Do you deny tying me to this chair?" Huxley asked.

"No, I did that." Jason responded, Huxley turning back to him.

"Outrageous! Release me at once!" Huxley demanded after turning to Harper.

"Hell no!" Harper responded.

"Such vulgar language from a young lady! What do you mean no? I take exception at your barbaric treatment!" Huxley replied.

"You attacked me with a pipe. I'm not gonna let that happen again." Jason responded.

"We haven't been properly introduced. Huxley lynch. And you are...? Not going to answer, I see. Well, then, um, allow me to tell you three a little about myself. I'm on a business trip. Ah, well normally, I take slightly better accommodations… but as I said, I'm trying to keep a low profile. I made some investments on behalf of some associates, but thanks to the plummeting exchange rate, they didn't pay off. It's as if they blame me for Brexit." Huxley explained after calming down.

"I knew your name from your driver's license. But why do they blame you for the British exit?" Harper responded.

"No real idea why. I just knew that I had to get out of the country. And I can tell that you three took these accommodations because they were the only ones available." Huxley replied.

"We really had no choice." Jason responded before picking up a nearby newspaper and seeing the date. "What is this?" He questioned.

"I'm afraid I don't follow. It's a newspaper." Huxley explained.

"No. This date. This date can't be right." Jason responded.

"Well, no. Of course not. It's over a week old. I bought it off a stand on my way to St. Petersburg." Huxley replied.

"Huxley, he's talking about the year on it." Harper responded.

"Well, what about it? It's not a misprint, is there?" Huxley questioned before laughing slightly. "Imagine that. The old London observer got the year wrong. That would make it a collector's item." He replied.

"Jason, when you first woke up, what year did you first remember?" Brayden questioned.

"2012. This newspaper reads 2017..." Jason answered.

"You were in that clinic for 5 years…" Harper responded once she realised it. "About 3 months before you were pulled out of the harbor in Port Charles, a friend went AWOL. At least that what his superiors believed when they couldn't find him… Drew wouldn't have just vanished without a trace, someone took him. And I'd hate to imagine what they did to him or what state of mind he's in now." She explained as Brayden held her right hand in his left one.

Little did she and Brayden know that they would find Drew again.


	4. Sometimes There's No Making Things Right

"Harper…"

Harper opened her eyes, seeing Brayden with a half empty can of ravioli, styrofoam bowls, plastic forks, a pot, a portable stove and can opener… and smiled.

"Safe to say that we're starving." Harper responded as the warm scent made her feel relaxed again.

"Damn right we are. Scoot your tiny body over here." Brayden responded, Harper standing up and walking over before she sat down next to him.

It was as they ate after shutting the stove off that Harper felt her energy returning to normal… and Jason walked in, quietly closing the door behind him.

"All clear." Jason called out, Huxley jumping from his hiding spot and Harper and Brayden jumping a bit as well. "Sorry, you two." He responded.

"Oh, God, you scared me, your sister and her boyfriend half to death." Huxley replied.

"Sorry." Jason responded.

"How did you find me? I took great care to conceal myself." Huxley replied.

"No you didn't. I saw you moving when I snuck everything back here." Brayden responded.

"I was still as a statue!" Huxley replied.

"Statues don't snore in their sleep, you fell asleep." Harper responded.

"Lack of proper energy does that to people. We're getting off-track here. One of you two could've been spotted." Huxley replied.

"We weren't spotted. I doubled back to make sure, that's when I saw Brayden grabbing the supplies." Jason explained, eating some of the raviolis himself as Harper finished hers before thanking Brayden with a kiss.

"The crew could burst through that door at any moment. And then what? Then what? They would detain us as - as - as stowaways, and they would notify the authorities and we would be turned away from the U.S. before we ever set foot on land. At least I have a passport and a home to return to. What will happen to you?" Huxley replied.

"Can we change the subject, please? The four of us, we need to try to relax." Brayden responded.

"Right you are, young man. With what happened, I'm the first to admit that these investors are a little more aggressive than I'm used to. It was, perhaps, not the wisest move to bring the Russians in on the deal. They have a more rough-and-tumble business style, shall we say." Huxley explained.

"How much money did you lose?" Jason questioned.

"More than they're willing to forgive. Fortunately, I've got my hands on an excellent painting. I took the precaution of having it shipped, so it's waiting for me in New York. I've got a buyer all lined up, and the sale price should be more than enough to compensate for my investors. But all my efforts will be for naught if the crew turns us over to the coast guard as stowaways." Huxley replied.

"No one saw us. I'm sure because I've been on a lot of freighters and they know how to not be spotted by anyone." Jason responded, Huxley taking the hint to drop the subject about possibly being detained.

"Were you a sailor?" Huxley questioned.

"Importer." Jason answered.

"Of what?" Huxley replied.

"Coffee." Jason responded, Huxley chuckling a bit.

"That's funny. I can't quite picture you as a coffee merchant. Well, then, did you get a gander at the navigation equipment? How long until we reach New York harbor?" Huxley replied.

"A few hours at the most." Jason responded.

"Good. Because I can tell those two are missing lying down on a comfortable bed and getting some real rest." Huxley replied, Jason seeing the dark circles under Harper's eyes.

"You're not kidding." Jason responded as Brayden held Harper in his arms and they stretched out on the cold floor. _'She's not voicing it but she's too damn sleep deprived. Something really rattled her nerves.' _He thought.

"There we go… much better." Brayden replied quietly after covering Harper as well as himself with a blanket before they kissed.

It was after more silence than he could take that Huxley spoke up.

"You never did say what you decided." Huxley replied, Jason looking to him.

"About what?" Jason questioned.

"How the devil should I know? You're not exactly a well-spring of information, are you? But when you selfishly went out on the deck, you said that you needed to think. So, what did you think about?" Huxley replied.

"I was thinking about home." Jason responded, Huxley calming down a bit.

"Home? Well, I suppose I should sympathize. I, myself, am partial to my own home. Hence my efforts to save it, hence my ill-advised dealings with Russian investors, hence my needing to travel incognito, hence my being here with you instead of in first class on a non-stop flight from St. Petersburg to LaGuardia. Not only would there be complimentary champagne and a full bar, there might be an actual chance at conversation. At least those two are somewhat lively… even if it's just to each other." Huxley replied, glancing at the couple nearby before turning back to Jason. "When you think of home, are you happy? Are you sad? Are you worried that it will be gobbled up by creditors or developers? Is there someone there waiting for you?" He asked.

And Harper and Brayden sat up after hearing that.

"We truly hope so. I have a younger brother that I recently found out about and she's looking for the rest of her biological family." Brayden explained.

"About the Quartermaines, they take some getting used to with the exception of Monica. She's a good mother." Jason responded.

"It's gonna be a hell of a shock to find out that one of the twin girls that she thought was dead is actually alive." Harper replied.

"Harper Eckert, right? You're… you're not familiar with a Valentin Cassadine, are you?" Huxley asked, Harper feeling her blood run cold at the mention of Valentin and Brayden lightly rubbing her back.

"When we wouldn't stop trying to find Drew, someone had Harper kidnapped and held hostage in that clinic for a week until I managed to find her… that's why I was there when we found you and Ava." Brayden explained after Jason turned to him, Huxley turning horrified.

"Good god… I never thought that Valentin was capable of something so horrific." Huxley replied.

"He wasn't alone. From what I remember, someone named Henrik was on the phone with him. Henrik was stood right in front of me when I first regained consciousness. He..." Harper explained, taking a deep breath after a while. "I don't know why but his coldness reminds me of a man who had left the house I lived in the night that Nancy was killed. Cesar Faison." She replied.

The mention of that name had both Jason and Brayden furious.

"Faison had my dad imprisoned and took his place once in 1988 to try to make my family believe that my dad was still alive. A few years back, he pulled the same thing on Anna Devane to try to mess with her mind because he's got this obsession with her when the poor woman wants nothing to do with him. She loved my father… and Faison hated being rejected." Brayden responded as Harper lightly rubbed her left hand up and down his back to calm him.

And she knew all too well the pain of losing a father.


	5. Back Down To Earth

_**A/N: A bit short and mostly an OC centric chapter with a sweet moment in it.**_

_**Harper's perspective…**_

"I've got you this time, kids." Huxley replied.

I have to admit, poker was an out there suggestion from him but we all feel calmer now… and I reveal a royal flush.

"That's impossible. You've won every hand. You have a poker face for the ages, I'll grant you, but no one is that lucky. You're counting cards." Huxley responded.

"Your deck is marked." Jason replied.

"That's absolutely untrue." Huxley responded, Jason showing him the deck of cards. "How did you spot that?" He asked.

"I own shares in a casino." Jason explained.

"I thought you said you were a coffee importer." Huxley responded.

"I'm both." Jason replied.

"One of you should've warned me you were expert card players. That's downright unchivalrous." Huxley responded.

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to play." Brayden replied.

"True." Huxley responded.

"You want to quit?" Jason asked.

"No, I don't want to quit. I want to win my money back." Huxley replied as Brayden helped me stand up so I could stretch my neck and back.

"Getting restless?" Brayden asked.

"The sooner we're back on solid ground, the better." I responded as we watched the card game continue and Huxley bet his watch.

"Read 'em and weep. Come to Papa…" Huxley replied after showing his hand of cards… before seeing Jason's cards. "That's impossible. You beat the lucky watch. Well... well, congratulations. You're going to arrive in New York in considerably finer style than you left St. Petersburg." He responded before Jason attempted to hand back the money and Huxley asked "What are you doing?".

"It's your money." Jason replied.

"No, no, no, it's not. You won it fair and square. At the very least, you out-cheated me." Huxley responded.

"We don't need the money." Jason replied.

"What are you talking about? You three have $100 each and the clothes you can stand up in. Unless one of you has some Swiss bank account you neglected to mention." Huxley responded.

"I might have an account in Zurich and a couple in the grand keys." Jason explained.

"Coffee importer?" I asked after turning to Jason, who glanced at me.

"Business is good." Jason responded.

"Well, uh, thank you. Your generosity is appreciated. I take back that crack I said about you being unchivalrous. You're a true gentleman. In fact, you should keep the watch." Huxley replied, unclipping the watch and handing it to Jason.

"I can't take the watch." Jason responded.

"Please, I insist. The watch was lucky for me when I needed it, but you've won. And now the luck has passed on to you. Please, take it. Swiss bank account or not, I have a feeling you three could use a little good fortune." Huxley replied before Jason held the watch and put it on his right wrist.

_"Attention passengers, we are reaching New York harbor."_

"That's our cue." I responded before we snuck off of the freighter and into the city itself.

Soon, it's just me, Brayden and Jason and we stop at a store for a bit to stock up on some things… and naturally, I pick up KL Polish in Carmello as well as their base coat, remover and cotton balls as well as some makeup and other things.

It was at a hotel room that after shaving and cleaning up that I dried off, applied antiperspirant and got dressed before applying the makeup and pulling my hair into a ponytail after scrunching it to curl it a bit.

"You look much better, Darlin'." Brayden responded before we kissed, his hair still damp.

"I feel a lot better, being off of that freighter and away from Russia… but the room's just temporary, we'll have to find a more permanent location soon." I replied after painting my nails and closing the bottles, washing my hands after the polish dries.

"We will, I promise." Brayden responded before we kissed… and I look out the window, seeing the yellow leaves fall from the trees.

They always turn to yellow first.

_**August 20th 2015, Third person perspective…**_

_Harper was taken aback by Brayden kissing her… but she didn't push her long time friend away, Harper resting her hands on his shoulders as Tell It Like It Is by Aaron Neville played on the radio nearby._

_"What took you so long, Handsome?" Harper whispered with a smile._

_"I honestly don't know, Lovely. I guess I was just waiting til you felt ready to trust another man after the way you were abused by Logan and mistreated by Shiloh." Brayden responded._

_"The horrific things he did when I refused to join Dawn Of Day… I hope that son of a bitch is rotting in hell." Harper replied as Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel played and the two held each other after they stretched out on the couch. "But I know you would never harm me in any way, Brayden." She responded before they kissed again and her head rested on his right shoulder._

_How exactly they were going to explain their new relationship, they didn't know just yet…_

**Present time**_**, Brayden's perspective…**_

It's now or never, I know I'll lose my nerve.

I look at the velvet box in my right hand, then at the radio… and I switch it on, _Tell It Like It Is_ by Aaron Neville playing and Harper looking up and smiling.

"Our song…" Harper responded before we kissed… and I get down onto my left knee, her eyes widening as I opened the box to reveal an oval cut Rose Quartz engagement ring in a gold band.

"Harper Elena… will you marry me?" I asked, Harper smiling as tears brimmed her eyes.

"Yes!" Harper responded before I put the ring on her left ring finger and stand up before we held each other and kissed again.

"We're gonna have our life together and no one's gonna stop us. Not Dr. Klein, not Cesar Faison, no one… our future, however we want it." I whispered as we smiled.

"With two kids… maybe three, them growing up close in age. That's the best time to have them, when they're young." Harper responded quietly before we kissed and were on the bed after undressing each other.

I grab one of the Durex condoms before putting it on… we want kids but not just yet.


	6. Memories Always Resurface

_**A/N: Inspiration for the dream (not exactly following the clips to a tee) in this chapter goes to YouTuber AddieCate007. Exact clips are titled Robert holds a party to find out who exactly murdered Nancy Eckert - November 19th 1991.**_

_"I'm gonna laugh like hell when they shave your head right before they fry you for murder!"_

_Harper found herself in the lighthouse, the storm raging on outside… and her looking at a younger Scott as well as everyone else._

_Faison was stood right across from Scott, AJ sniping back at Jenny and Bill talking to Julia Barrett… and from what she remembered, Julia was Harlan's favorite whereas Brenda wasn't and that alone made her hate Harlan as she always believed that a parent should never favor one child over another._

_Harper wanted nothing more than to run to Bill and hug him again… but she knew that he and the others couldn't see her._

_"Dad, why did you fall in love with that selfish woman?" Harper whispered._

_"Now now, kiddo, Julia wasn't always selfish."_

_Harper turned around, her eyes widening to see Bill… and he was how she remembered him the night before he died._

_"What, you think the living are the only ones who have dreams they can walk around in?" Bill asked with a slight smile before they hugged._

_"Daddy…" Harper responded quietly as tears trailed down her face, Bill brushing them away after they let go._

_"Don't cry, Precious. I'm always around you in spirit… though if I were alive, I'd probably question your fiance's intentions but he's a good man, I can tell that you two love each other very much." Bill explained._

_"Sly tried to scare him off a few times." Harper responded._

_"Well you're Sly's only sibling, doesn't matter to him that you two don't share the same DNA. Blood doesn't make a family… love does." Bill replied._

_"Cookie? Cheeseball? Revolver? 10 to 20 in SingSing?" Younger Bill responded to Scott._

_"Just a cookie." Scott replied, carefully taking a cookie._

_"You know, for a man with a room full of… no thank you…" Julia responded, politely turning down a snack. "Potential killers, you're certainly the genial host." She finished._

_"Well why not? Most of these people have meant so much to me over the past period of time." Younger Bill responded before the doorbell rang and Finian walked to the door, opening it._

_"Commissioner." Finian greeted as Robert walked in._

_"Good evening, Finian. Chief Lewis." Robert responded before pulling his soaked coat off and setting it aside, immediately walking to the younger Bill. "I believe I'd like to get started." He replied before everyone sat down._

_"Why are we here when we already know what happened, Dad?" Harper questioned._

_"I don't know that answer any more than you do…" Bill responded before Harper heard AJ say "The only other one who knew about the affair was her youngest. Maybe the little street rat had thought she was gonna be given back to that adoption center if she told anyone."._

_"You cruel bastard!" Harper hissed angrily._

_"AJ wasn't always cruel, Harper. And maybe his opinion of you back then would've changed had he'd gotten to know you." Bill responded._

_"Yeah, true. The only one who's truly cruel is Faison. Downright sinister." Harper replied._

_The aforementioned man seemed to hear her, looking right at her._

_"I can't exactly fault you for saying that, Miss Eckert. I messed with a lot of lives just for the hell of it and that was before I met Anna. Maybe you should ask that kindhearted fiance of yours just how I treated his mother before she met his father… sweet Neaveh, she was never really the same afterwards." Faison responded, Harper feeling her blood boil._

_"It's all a game to you. Avoiding failure when true colors will bleed…" Harper replied as she heard the faint melody of Carnival Of Rust by Poets Of The Fall get louder…_

Harper opened her eyes as Brayden turned the radio down a bit.

"Sorry, Love. I forgot that the radio was still on." Brayden responded, half dressed before he sat down on the bed… and Harper sat up before they kissed.

But Brayden noticed the haunted look in Harper's eyes, him cradling her face in his hands.

"It's okay. Faison will never mess with our heads again." Brayden replied before they hugged.

Harper tied her hair into a messy bun before going to clean off, walking back into the room and dressed in black cable knit leggings and an oversized light grey tank top with her ring back on her left ring finger before letting her hair down and putting on a pair of socks and black fuzzy boots.

She stood up and her and Brayden kissed again… and helped her pull her oversized white and black plaid jacket on.

"I think we could use something to eat and a few drinks after earlier… let's bring our things with us just in case we need to run again." Brayden replied before they packed up and heard a knock at the door.

Brayden walked over, ready to attack in case it was the two that had followed the three of them from Russia… but it was Jason, Brayden stepping aside and letting him in before Jason and Harper hugged.

Jason noticed the ring on her finger as they let go and turned to Brayden.

"I don't know you that well but I know you two love each other. But if you upset her…" Jason responded.

"I promise, she'll always be happy." Brayden replied, his left hand entwined with Harper's right one and Jason nodding and smiling slightly before the three left.

It was after eating that they went to the bar and relaxed as much as they could… and Harper and Brayden drank a bit before slow dancing to a few songs as the bartender was guiding a drunk man outside.

"You just go straight home. And take the bus, not the subway." She responded.

"Yeah, right." The drunk man replied before he left, _Daze _by Poets Of The Fall playing in the bar as Brayden sat down and pulled Harper into his lap… and the older lady smiled as she walked back to behind the bar itself and to the liquor shelf.

"Young love." She responded before turning to Jason. "You sure I can't get you something? Other than water?" She questioned.

"No, thanks. Just trying to catch up on what I missed. And someone's gotta drive them back with the way they're drinking." Jason explained.

"That's true. So you've been out of the country. Deployed?" The bartender inquired.

"No, I'm not in the military. My soon to be brother in law was though." Jason responded.

"Oh. Guess I read you both wrong." The bartender replied.

"But you're right that we've... been away for a while." Harper responded.

"Oh. Well, welcome back. Are you three in some kind of trouble?" The bartender replied.

"Is it obvious?" Jason responded and out of the corner of her left eye, Harper noticed the two men that had been chasing them.

"Well, you deal with people, you pick stuff up. Plus, this is a fireman's bar. Cops don't usually show up without a good reason." The bartender explained, lowering her voice midway through.

"Which way to the restroom?" Jason questioned quietly.

"It's in the back." The bartender whispered before the three his behind the nearest wall and she turned to the two who had just walked in. "So what can I get you guys?" She asked.

Harper, Brayden and Jason knew that they couldn't keep outrunning people who wouldn't give up… and the three started to form a plan.


	7. Back Home

_**A/N: The show never stated exactly when Sam, under the alias Cheryl Richards, had married Henry Archer so this idea was formed on the possibility that it was sometime in the late 1990s or in early 2000. **_

_**September 20th 2000…**_

_The car barreled right towards her and struck her, leaving 12 year old Harper in the middle of the road before she heard a sickening crash and managed to pull herself up somewhat._

_"Henry!" Harper screamed out in panic, knowing whose car it was and worried about the older man's health more than her own._

_His lack of response left her terrified that he was dead and Harper felt someone's hands on her shoulders, seeing Sam McCall._

_But Harper, Henry and Danny were the only ones who knew her as Sam… to everyone else, the raven haired woman was Cheryl Archer._

_"Stay still, okay?" Sam responded, dialing 112 and trying to keep Harper calm._

_But with the lines being down, Sam hung up in frustration and picked Harper up into her arms before leaving with her._

_Hospital Saint-Louis Ap-Hp was busy but Harper was examined right away as Sarah Webber knew the severity of the injury to Harper's ankle._

_"The talocrural joint is torn, she's gonna need surgery to fix it. I'm gonna get an OR room prepped and call Jenny and Paul, okay, Mrs. Archer?" Sarah explained, Sam nodding and Sarah leaving… and Sam pulling Harper into a hug when she saw tears._

_"It's okay, they're gonna get you fixed up and you'll heal." Sam whispered as they looked at each other._

_"It was your husband's car… he was screaming because he couldn't stop the vehicle, I… I think he's dead." Harper responded quietly, Sam lightly rubbing her back._

_Sam felt tears fall down her face as she had never wanted Henry to die… and as much as it scared her, she had fallen in love with him enough to tell him her real name and about Danny._

_Once the shock had worn off, Henry had held Sam and promised to her that they would start over and take Danny with them somewhere new._

_But it was all for nothing now._

_"How am I gonna tell Danny?" Sam replied sadly._

_"It's still gonna hurt him, no matter how. Henry was patient with him… you both helped keep him calm when he felt that he wasn't himself. But Danny is like you, he's strong and resilient… and you two are gonna get through this together." Harper responded, Sam kissing her forehead._

_When Harper woke up after surgery, she saw Jenny, Sly, Paul, Paul Jr… and then saw Sam and Danny._

_"Hey, kiddo." Danny replied, him and Harper hugging for a few seconds._

_"Hey, Danny." Harper responded._

_"You'll need physical therapy but you'll be okay. It'll just take some time to walk again, Harper." Paul replied, kissing Harper on her forehead and lightly rubbing her back._

_Harper was still trying to stay alert and looked at her bandaged ankle… and Danny lightly rubbed her right shoulder._

_"You'll be okay, kiddo. You can handle this." Danny responded._

_The two hugged again… but out of the corner of her left eye, Harper saw a man that she had only seen in pictures at the Archer residence._

_Despite the estrangement between Henry and his son, Henry never stopped caring about David._

_But something about David unnerved Harper…_

**Present time…**

"We're looking for some people." One of the men explained.

"Aren't we all…" The bartender responded, trying to joke but it didn't work. "Okay, well what did they do?" She questioned.

"They stowed away on a boat. Entered the country illegally." The second one explained, showing the lady a picture from a CCTV camera of Jason, Harper and Brayden.

"Remember that stunt you and Luke pulled a few years back when we were trying to find Sean Donely?" Brayden whispered after pulling Harper closer to him.

"If it weren't for Holly, we would've found him a bit sooner but it could work." Harper responded quietly before turning to Jason. "I'm gonna pretend that I've been drinking to the point where I got lost so you and Brayden can sneak up on these two." She explained.

"Be careful." Jason whispered.

"I will." Harper replied quietly before they hugged and she and Brayden kissed before she snuck out.

It wasn't long before the two mercenaries heard rambling and headed outside and behind the bar, seeing Harper all disheveled and stumbling as she tried to stay upright… and approached her.

But the second they grabbed Harper, she stabbed the first one in his left thigh with a knife she had found on the floor and he stumbled back with a painful yell before Harper yanked the knife out and slashed the second one across his face.

Brayden grabbed him, putting him in a chokehold as Jason threw the first mercenary to the ground and kicked him in the head.

With both incapacitated, the three grabbed what cash they could as well as the guns and threw the mercenaries wallets away before leaving with what they had brought with them from the hotel.

At the bus station, they left… and it wasn't long before they were in Port Charles, getting off of the bus.

It had stopped at a foot bridge… and Jason led Harper and Brayden to a safehouse, opening the door after putting in a code.

"Okay, we should be safe here for now." Jason responded after closing and locking the door, making sure the alarm didn't go off.

"I know it's getting late but do you know where the cemetery is?" Harper asked.

"Yeah, it's not too far from here. I need to go somewhere as well, follow the footbridge to the park and the cemetery's right next to it." Jason explained before the three left.

In the cemetery as the stars were visible now, Harper and Brayden knelt down onto the ground and in front of Bill's grave… and Harper brushed her tears away as Brayden rubbed her back.

"I wish I had come back sooner, Dad… but I'm home now and I'm never leaving again." Harper replied.

"We never stop missing our family… but we also remember the good times." Brayden responded, Harper nodding as she brushed her right hand against the tombstone.

"I just wish you could've gotten to know him…" Harper replied before she saw a tombstone nearby… and covered her mouth in shock before she stood up and ran to it, Brayden following her.

She fell to her knees as she was overwhelmed with sobs, Brayden crouching down and holding her in his arms… and her arms wrapped around him.

Etched into the tombstone was Danny McCall.


	8. Old Friends & Familiar Faces

**_January 17th 2005…_**

_Robin looked up as Brayden brought Harper into the ER._

_"I can't believe that you brought me here for a migraine…" Harper muttered, Brayden holding her upright as she had trouble walking._

_"Harper, you're burning up and you just threw up, you could have the flu. You're getting checked over and that's that, little lady." Brayden responded, Robin grabbing a portable thermometer and rushing over to them before getting Harper to open her mouth._

_Harper closed her mouth as the thermometer was under her tongue, Robin waiting until it beeped… and seeing 104.6° on the thermometer screen panicked her._

_"Get her into room 7, now!" Robin responded after throwing the thermometer cover away, Brayden taking Harper into the room and Robin putting gloves on before putting an IV in Harper's left hand and hooking it up to a bag of saline before injecting Motrin into the IV to try to bring Harper's fever down._

_Robin handed a washcloth to Brayden after running it under cold water, Brayden lightly dabbing it on Harper's forehead, face and neck and Robin noticing muscle weakness in Harper's limbs._

_"I'm gonna run some tests, have to rule out meningitis. She nearly died from it when she was a toddler." Robin explained before she left, Brayden holding Harper's right hand in his left one._

_"Please don't die, Harper. We're just getting to know each other." Brayden whispered._

_"Hell will have to drag me kicking and screaming." Harper responded quietly._

_After being tested, they waited as her family got there… and to their relief, Harper didn't have meningitis or encephalitis and her temperature was slowly going down._

_While still out of it, Harper thought she felt a hand on her head and managed to open her eyes halfway… and was sure she saw Lena._

_"You can beat this, Harper… I know you can. And trust me, that young man who brought you here tonight, he's never leaving your side." Lena whispered._

_Harper felt Brayden's right hand on her right shoulder, slowly turning her head to him after opening her eyes fully._

_"You had us all worried sick, Harper." Brayden responded before Harper felt Sly's hand on her left shoulder and saw him._

_"Sis, you're shaking." Sly replied._

_"Lena…" Harper responded, Sly realising who she had seen and turning to Brayden._

_"Lena was mine and Harper's great aunt, she was hurt when Luke tried to protect her from Tim… Luke accidentally hit her and by the time Patricia took her to the hospital…" Sly explained._

_"She was dying… that was the night Tim also died. Now you know why I crossed out his face in those pictures… every time I see him, I think about how much hell Lena and her children went through. They deserved someone kind and loving but instead, they got stuck with that abusive cold hearted drunk." Harper responded after turning to Brayden, who held her._

_"He's in hell, where he belongs. He can't torment anyone anymore." Brayden replied quietly, rubbing Harper's back as they held each other._

_And Harper felt the rest of the bad feelings fade away…_

**Present time…**

"Danny… of all people, why him? And why didn't Jason say anything to us on the way here? He lived in Port Charles at the time." Harper responded as Brayden put a glass of whiskey in her right hand and she drank it.

"I'm sure we'll get the answers from him. But right now, just breathe. We're safe here." Brayden replied as they held each other, Harper resting her head on his left shoulder.

"Faison knows how to walk around undetected, so does his son. But Faison will be looking for Henrik first… I just hope that gives us enough time to find Valentin and Cassandra. I know that bitch drugged you last year, you nearly died because of her. And she's gonna pay for that." Harper responded.

"She is. But right now, let's go upstairs…" Brayden replied, holding Harper's right hand in his left one as they stood up. "Undress each other and make sweet love until we fall asleep while holding each other." He responded as they smiled, the two kissing before Harper set the glass down and they walked upstairs.

The door to their room slammed open with authority, their minds only locked on one thing as Brayden pinned Harper against the wall as they were still half naked and his hands trailed up her body, her bra unclipping and being tossed aside as he kissed her neck and lightly nipped at it.

The dark haired man playfully tossed his mostly naked fiancee onto the bed and she out a light laugh as he climbed on top of her.

"So good to me, Miss Eckert…" Brayden whispered, lightly kissing Harper's left shoulder and neck as she closed her eyes and tossed her head back… she moved her hips to him and tried to grab onto his hair but he kept her pinned down as he pulled her satin panties off.

With a final tug of his boxers and the rest of the clothing disappearing into the darkened room, Brayden reached over on the nightstand and took a condom out of the box left in their room and he put it on… Harper's pulse was at immeasurable levels as he moved forward, the two losing awareness of everything around them.

She tossed her head back and moaned out as she felt his fingers dig into her hips, the two moving faster once the shockwaves of unadulterated bliss hit them harder.

By the time they crashed from the high they were on, there was nothing left of their voices left after the screams… opening his bright blue eyes, Brayden looked down at Harper, who's hazel eyes slowly opened and she looked up at him with an exhausted smile.

Once in each others arms and tangled up in the ivory bed sheets, she rested her head on his right shoulder as his left hand rested on her hip before they kissed.

Across town, Sonny answered his IPhone 8.

"Max?" Sonny responded.

"Two people are in one of your safehouses, a man and a woman." Max explained, Sonny turning startled.

"You recognise them?" Sonny asked.

"No but the CCTV cameras picked up a screenshot of them, I'm sending it your way." Max responded.

Sonny looked at the photo, returning to the phone call.

"Thanks, Max." Sonny replied before they hung up and he grabbed his Desert Eagle, loading it before grabbing his car keys and leaving.

Reaching the safehouse, he walked in and up towards the bedroom… and kicked the door in, Harper and Brayden sitting up abruptly after covering themselves and Brayden shielding her after pointing one of the guns at Sonny.

"Lower it!" Brayden replied.

"You first!" Sonny responded, Harper's memory jarred by that voice.

"Sonny?" Harper replied, Sonny looking at her… and lowering the gun.

"Harper Eckert…" Sonny responded.

The last time she had seen him was the night that Frank Smith's men had shot up the Spencer home.


End file.
